Rest

So on today's Graham Cooke drive to work (and subsequent wait to start work) he discussed rest. REST.
That elusive mysterious subject which has teased me for the last couple years.
Matt recently (by recent I really mean probably 6 weeks ago) asked for people to share how they approach it.
I couldn't tell him.
I still didn't know.
But today I listened to some phenominal teaching on it.
And once again God implored me to listen raptly.

It's quite possibly the single most important piece of Christianity I don't know.

I'm going to try and describe it a little, but not to teach you. I really like teaching. I also like sharing things I'm excited to have learnt. Yet this is something I cannot teach. Not for a long while. I have to learn it first. I have to live it. This is for me.

soul vs spirit

Soul here represents your mind, will, and emotions.
Spirit is deeper than the 3 of those. It's the inner person.
To rest is to quiet the soul and retreat to the spirit.
It's not complicated. It's not impossible. It's just a discipline.
You don't empty yourself of thoughts to get there.
You focus your thoughts on Jesus.
Then when your mind wanders, you follow it and bring it back.
It's a time to adore Jesus. Literally, devotion.
You have to train your feelings too. It's not about whether you feel like it. You do it anyway.
It's a separate time from prayer, or study.
It's going purely after presence.



God's been trying to get me to do this for quite some time now. To some extent I have made attempts but I have met little success. I'm sure that's partly due to little perseverance. Yet I've never understood it either. No one has explained it to me. Today was different. Today I gleaned wisdom. Today questions were answered. Frustrations were relieved.
I will try again, with understanding, and hope anew.

Matt, check out grahamcooke.com
Get yourself something. You'll be glad.